Trump’s jet reveals the collapse of US aerospace prestige and rising Gulf influence
By Alexander Ermakov, Research Fellow at Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences
One of the more intriguing international stories in recent weeks was the report that Donald Trump, now back in the White House, is set to fly aboard a lavish Boeing 747-8 once owned by the Qatari royal family. While some media dismiss it as just another Trump indulgence, the real story is more revealing – and more political – than it first appears.
Western media only caught on in early May, but Trump’s interest in the aircraft surfaced months earlier. In February, he personally inspected a Boeing 747-8 with the temporary registration number P4-HBJ at Palm Beach Airport. The jet, originally delivered in 2012, had been used exclusively by Qatar Amiri Flight – a VIP state aviation unit, comparable to Russia’s Rossiya. It carried members of the Qatari royal family and top officials and bore the livery of Qatar Airways, a symbol of Doha’s soft power.
Along with three similar aircraft, this plane spent a decade shuttling royals around the globe. In 2023, it was transferred to the business jet operator Global Jet Isle of Man. However, ownership likely remained with Qatar. For some time now, the aircraft has been parked in the United States, quietly awaiting a buyer. Trump apparently saw it and liked what he saw.
Amid questions over whether the former president can accept such a gift from a foreign power, the aircraft was quietly moved in April to San Antonio, Texas – home of L3 Harris Technologies, a US defense contractor specializing in communications systems. According to limited but credible information, the company has been tasked with upgrading the aircraft’s communications suite, possibly transforming it into a functional backup for presidential travel. The timeline is tight, aiming for year’s end, but phased upgrades could allow partial use much sooner.
Talk of a $400 million “gift” is misleading. That figure reflects the catalog price of a brand-new 747-8 – not a lightly used 2012 model. Still, its custom interior surely cost a fortune. And the US side will need to invest heavily in retrofitting it with secure communications and defense equipment.
After Trump’s term, the plane may be displayed in his future presidential library – a museum, more accurately – or retained by the US Air Force. Operating it as a civilian aircraft would be difficult due to the embedded defense systems.
In the Middle East, gifting prestige aircraft is nothing new. Offering a prized horse from one’s stable is a traditional gesture of respect. The Qatari royals simply do so on a grander scale. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received a similar 747-8 from Doha – a move that drew criticism during an economic downturn. But Erdogan claimed that the Qatari Emir refused any payment out of friendship. Less luxurious aircraft have also been given to other allies. In Trump’s case, the motivation was simple: he liked the plane, and Qatar saw a chance to curry favor.
But how did the US reach a point where its president needs a hand-me-down from the Gulf to get airborne?
The answer lies in the long-running and deeply flawed Air Force One replacement program. The two current VC-25As have been in service since 1990. While still operational, they’re aging, maintenance-intensive, and increasingly unreliable. If one is grounded for repairs – as often happens – the president’s travel plans are at risk.
A replacement program was launched years ago. In 2016, Boeing, the only bidder, won the contract to produce the VC-25B, based on the now-discontinued 747-8 platform. In a twist of irony, the two airframes selected were originally built for Russia’s bankrupt Transaero Airlines. So the next Air Force One, whenever it arrives, will have Russian origins.
Upgrades only began in 2020. Trump took an unusual interest in the project, proposing a new red-white-and-blue livery to replace Jackie Kennedy’s pastel blue. A model of the updated plane even sat in his office. Predictably, Biden canceled the paint scheme – but with Trump’s return, the design and model are back.
Thanks to pandemic disruptions, overregulation, and Boeing’s much-discussed internal dysfunction, the program has faced chronic delays. Trump has now been told he won’t be able to use the new VC-25B during his second term. Optimistic projections place delivery in 2029; more realistic ones, sometime in the 2030s.
Trump wasn’t willing to wait – nor should he have to. Boeing is losing money on the fixed-cost contract and would love to be rid of it, but cancellation would bring massive penalties. The Air Force isn’t scrapping it either – there are no four-engine presidential aircraft in production anywhere in the West. Switching contractors midstream would delay things further.
Even the 747-8 selected for the future E-4C airborne command center had to be sourced secondhand – from a South Korean airline, no less. Boeing wasn’t even included in that redesign program. Instead, Sierra Nevada Corporation is handling it.
Trump’s decision to take the Qatari plane was not vanity, but pragmatism. Faced with creaking aircraft and no domestic solution in sight, he found an available platform – and took it. That’s not scandalous. It’s resourceful.
It is a striking moment when the president of the United States must rely on a Middle Eastern ally for the nation’s most symbolic aircraft. But this is where decades of decline at Boeing and dysfunction in the US procurement system have led.
Trump didn’t cause the problem. He just solved it in the most Trumpian way possible.
This article was first published by Valdai Discussion Club, translated and edited by the RT team.
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